


secret smile

by yehetno



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, will i ever write a semi-decent fic???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-19 05:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8192528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yehetno/pseuds/yehetno
Summary: Jinwoo is not good at playing it hot and cold.  At all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i told ten_ssi that i had a myungjin in the works like a month ago and she subtly asked where it was at. this is not it. the other thing has serious pacing issues i'm trying to iron out.
> 
> enjoy? i don't know... when have i ever actually liked the final product?
> 
> (the format is....... different?)
> 
> standard typo/missed word warning. i'm a terrible editor.

1.  ** _note_**

The crinkling sound of paper being opened tells Jinwoo that his note is being read.  Childish as it is, passing a note feels like the only way to actually get Myungjun to spare a moment of time for him.  It has a fun element of secrecy and suspense; anyone that have helped in getting the to note to its intended recipient could have broken the implicit trust between classmates and torn the note open.  The professor could have caught sight of the neatly folded note, intervened, and read the (potentially) embarrassing contents to the entire class.  Jinwoo thinks that it is worth the risk, just to establish that he might be in love with Kim Myungjun.

A sigh.  A loud sigh at that.  There is a hint of annoyance on the exhalation unmistakably from Myungjun. 

It is not exactly the reaction that Jinwoo was hoping for, to say the least.  Jinwoo's favorite cliched description of Myungjun ascribes the warmth of the sun to his smile.  His kindness tends to be blunted by his intolerance of people that rub him the wrong way.  He gives off the "underdog-fighting-against-social-injustices" vibe, which produces a steely glint in his eye whenever he encounters a bully. 

Jinwoo frowns, the odds of the reply being positive seem small.  His leg starts bouncing of its own volition. His nerves always find a way to escape his body, most often through the telltale hurried tapping or bouncing.  Although it gives him away, at least he's not like Minhyuk, who bites his nails all the way down their beds.

He tries to resist the urge and sneak a peek at Myungjun to get a sense of his attitude toward the small, childish confession.  He manages to put off looking over for five minutes and swiftly glances at Myungjun.  The paper that the note is scribbled on is nowhere to be seen, and Myungjun devotes his attention to taking diligent notes on the content of the lecture.

Jinwoo sighs softly, turning his attention back to the banalities of the effects of tax law on the efficacy of bureaucracy.

At least, he has the wherewithal to wait until the end of class to get a concrete reply from Myungjun.  The words of his professor go in one ear and out the other because he keeps stealing glances at Myungjun from the corner of his eye.  (The only thought that echoes through his head is one that admires Myungjun's ability to focus on any subject; and that he looks handsome doing so.)

The professor finally ends his lengthy lecture, and the entire classroom begins to pack up, filling the room with a symphony of binders and books being slid into bags and soft chatter about upcoming assignments and social engagements.  Jinwoo weaves through the desks and classmates to stand in front of Myungjun.

Myungjun gives him a once over and sighs, aggressively shoving his notebook into his bag.  Jinwoo rocks between his heels and his toes, gripping the straps of his bag with a toothy smile.

Myungjun clicks his tongue and brushes some hair out his face, "Did you seriously send me a 'do you like me? check yes or no' note?"

"Yes, it's direct and to the point," replies Jinwoo with a small, excited bounce.

Myungjun shoots a glare at him, "It's something that middle schoolers do."  He brushes past Jinwoo and makes his way to the door.

Jinwoo hurries after him, narrowly avoiding tripping over the legs of the desks in the room.  "Then replying should be supremely easy for a pre-law student."

Myungjun stops abruptly and whips around, "Why should I like you?"

"What?"

"Why should I invest time and emotional effort into dating someone with the romantic sense of thirteen-year-old?  I'm a busy person.  I have a part-time job and a full-time education; why should I like you?"

Jinwoo cracks a smile, "That's not a no!"

Myungjun pinches the bridge of his nose, "You're missing the point."

"I'll make the case for it then," Jinwoo promises.  "If I can convince you that I'm a little bit worth your time, then will you answer my middle school level question?"  He extends his hand toward Myungjun, wiggling his fingers.

Myungjun grips his hand and shakes it slowly with a soft suspicious gaze.

 

2.  ** _pick me up_**

The coffee machine on the other side of the counter lets out a high-pitched whistle as the barista monitors the milk being steamed in the metal cup.  Jinwoo is very much the type of person to sink five dollars on some fancy pants, limited availability drink.  He is particularly fond of ridiculously sweet drinks, which makes his wallet very unhappy because they tend to be expensive.

However, the primary purpose of this coffee run is Kim Myungjun.  He has a fairly hefty paper due soon, so when Jinwoo came around to flirt his way into Myungjun's heart, this was the only thing he said that he had time for.

Myungjun, apparently, prefers his coffee black.  Or at least, when he is bumping up against a deadline for an assignment, the only thing that can get the job done is straight devil water.

Jinwoo squints at the pastry case while waiting to tell the cashier that he needs an unethical amount of coffee immediately.  Perhaps Myungjun would appreciate a stale muffin or a cookie.

By the time that he reaches the cashier, he has decided to get Myungjun a slice of the lemon-iced pound cake.  If Myungjun declines the offer, Jinwoo is perfectly willing to eat it himself.  Besides, he still has to suss out Myungjun's eating preferences in just about every category of food and drink imaginable.  He has to start somewhere, especially if he hopes to go on an actual date with Myungjun.

He gets two large black coffees, both for Myungjun, a hot chocolate, a black and white cookie, and the piece of pound cake for Myungjun.  He loads his drinks onto the little cardboard drink carrier and holds the pastries in individual paper bags in his other hand. 

He hustles back to the on-campus library, which is open all hours of the day to accommodate situations very much like Myungjun's.  The brisk air bites at his exposed skin, making him regret the decision to forego wearing a jacket.  Suffice it to say, his sweater is not quite enough to protect him from nighttime cold.

Bringing in drinks earns him an annoyed glare from the librarian on duty, but enough students ignore the sign prohibiting food and beverage that she lets him slide with the subtext of her intense eyes reading along the lines of: "spill those drinks on any books and you die".  Jinwoo offers an uneasy nod in her direction before scurrying off to Myungjun's study nook.

When he arrives, he finds Myungjun using his arm as a pillow, breathing softly with parted lips.  Jinwoo looks at the sleeping Myungjun and feels a familiar warm spread throughout his body.  He tries to gently shake Myungjun's shoulder, but the only outcome is Myungjun's shifting away slightly without actually waking up from his impromptu nap.

Jinwoo sets the coffee down and groans quietly as he settles into the seat beside Myungjun.

He carefully pulls Myungjun's laptop toward the area directly in front of him and begins to proofread and edit Myungjun's paper.  He occasionally takes a sip from his hot chocolate, editing grammar and misspelled words that tend to slip past even the best of writers during word and thought dumps.

He makes notes at points where he would like more clarification, but those are far and few between.  He intermittently checks to see if Myungjun is still resting peacefully  By the second time that he reads through the paper, he feels like Myungjun has made a pretty boring subject actually engaging.

He glances over to see Myungjun staring at him incredulously.

Jinwoo slowly retracts his fingers from the keyboard, quickly piecing together an adequate explanation for the unprompted editing session and allowing Myungjun to waste away precious time that could have been used to write the paper.  He clicks his tongue and says, "What you have so far is strong, aside from a point or two that I personally would like clarified.  You really just need to write a conclusion and you're golden."

Myungjun blinks once, then twice.  He pursues his lips and nods, "Noted.  You should probably go home and sleep." 

His tone is borderline indecipherable because of the amount of sleep coating his voice.  Jinwoo nods slowly and moves Myungjun's laptop back toward him.  "Work hard," he says in quiet encouragement, somewhat embarrassed by his own actions.

He has almost reached the stacks when he hears Myungjun whisper-shout, "Jinwoo!"

He turns around with one eyebrow raised. 

"Thank you," Myungjun murmurs, "for the coffee."  He gestures toward the coffee with the smallest of smiles.

 

3.  ** _hopelessly hopeful_**

In American English, the season of autumn is referred to as fall.  (If one were to ask Jinwoo how he knows that, one would receive a vague, evasive answer about listening to some of their mainstream pop songs referring to the season.  It is a lie that covers up the fact that he watched a romantic comedy, the title of which was a play on falling and love and the season of fall.)  Jinwoo thinks that it might just be the best season to fall in love with someone.  The air always provides the opportunity for rosy cheeks.  The weather is not insufferably cold, so romantic strolls in the park are easily achieved.  The point being, Jinwoo believes that the season is in his favor, providing many opportunities to woo Kim Myungjun.

He spots Myungjun stranded under the eaves of the building that houses the College of Government and Policy.  He looks out at the gloomy weather with slight disgust and apprehension.  The rain must have started while Myungjun was in the building.

Luckily enough, Jinwoo has an umbrella big enough to accommodate another person (albeit tightly).

He walks over toward Myungjun, whose mood has quickly devolved into defeat.  "Hello."

Myungjun responds with a heavy sigh, "Hi."  The intonation doesn't imply that he's excited to see Jinwoo.  It's kind of greeting that gets uttered out after a crappy day, and the moment is the cherry on top of the worst day.

"How are you?"

Myungjun glares silently instead of responding.

Jinwoo might be an eternal optimist that swoons when Myungjun so much as blinks, but he knows when trying to intervene and start a conversation is not the best course of action.

"Where do you need to go?  My umbrella has plenty of room and I have plenty of time."

Myungjun gives him a once-over, mulling over his options in his head.  Jinwoo watches as he softly gnaws on his lower lip.  He sighs once more, "I just need to get to my car.  I have things in my bag that can't get wet."

"Lead the way," Jinwoo takes a step up to Myungjun, covering him entirely under the umbrella, shoulder pressing against Myungjun's.

They slowly make their way to the student parking lot.  Yellow and brown leaves litter the pathways that they take.  Jinwoo makes sure that all of Myungjun's body and his things stay dry, sacrificing his right shoulder to the rain.

When they are almost to Myungjun's car, Myungjun quietly says, "You've been awfully quiet.  Didn't know you had it in you to be quiet for more than four minutes."

"You look like you've been through the wringer.  Plus, you prefer to talk about your hardships at your pace.  I don't want to make your day any worse by making you talk about things you want to be left alone."

He stops, and Jinwoo almost takes the shield of the umbrella with him.  He forcibly swings himself around and keeps the umbrella over Myungjun. His back is getting wet, but it doesn't matter when he sees the softness in Myungjun's expression.

It takes Myungjun a moment too long to realize that he isn't controlling his expression.  He breaks eye contact with Jinwoo and clears his throat.  "Thank you for walking me to my car."  He bows stiffly and practically flees from their spot on the sidewalk, running to his car.

Jinwoo waits for Myungjun to pull out of the parking lot.

It takes Myungjun a while to finally back out of his spot and drives off.

Jinwoo waves at the receding car with a wide smile.

 

4. _ **dazzling 24/7/365**_

 

Jinwoo comes full stop when he sees Myungjun with a comically large scarf wrapped several times around his neck.  It covers the lower half of his face, which would already be disappointing enough, if not paired with obnoxiously large sunglasses and a black cap.  There is, maybe, two square inches of visible skin on Myungjun's face, and if Jinwoo didn't know him from head to toe, up close and from afar, he would be unrecognizable.

The accessories around his face make him seem like a pop star trying to go out in public while simultaneously avoiding mega-fans.

He wants to say something about it immediately, but he has arrived just in time for another stunningly boring lecture to begin.

He spends the entire hour, looking over at Myungjun and trying to figure what might have prompted the radical choice of clothing. 

The class moves about as quickly as molasses, and Jinwoo absorbs no information whatsoever.  The professor bids the class farewell and Jinwoo bolts to Myungjun's side. 

Myungjun looks up and groans, "Not today."

"Did you become an idol overnight or something?"

Myungjun puts his things in his bag and says, "No, I'm just not having the best skin day."

"Meaning?"

Myungjun shoots up out of his seat and looks around to confirm that he and Jinwoo are the only ones left in the room.  He leans forward, "I'm breaking out, and it's... horrific."

With a sigh, Jinwoo hooks his finger on the uppermost layer of Myungjun's scarf mask and pulls down.

Myungjun's instant reaction is to slap his hand over Jinwoo's eyes. 

Jinwoo hisses, cringing away and covering his face, and Myungjun gasps, "Oh my god, are you okay?"  He places a hand on Jinwoo's shoulder, trying to somehow determine the extent to which he has injured Jinwoo.

"No! I'm not okay," Jinwoo whines, "You're so dazzling that it hurts my eyes."

The hand on his shoulder falls away, and Jinwoo covers his face with a wide grin, "How can someone always be so blindingly pretty?"

"Are we looking at the same face?"  Myungjun asks in disbelief.

Jinwoo squints at the small patch of acne bumps on Myungjun's cheek, "Yes, and I'm not seeing anything remotely 'horrific'.  You're as stunning as ever."

Myungjun blinks a few times and walks away without saying anything in response.

 

5\. **_the time of day_**

_Do you want to be my boyfriend? (Check 'yes' or 'no'.)_

_YES [X]_

_NO [  ]_  

_\--Jinwoo_

 

Jinwoo wants to jump up and down and squeal loudly, but his tax law professor would find it rude if his droning was interrupted by the best moment of Jinwoo's life so far.  Besides, he can't get on this professor's bad side, not with the way he's teetering on the pass/fail line.

He glances over at Myungjun, who has a hand shielding his eyes, forcing him to take notes or, at least,  _pretend_ to take notes.

Jinwoo tucks his response into the pocket of his folder and covers his mouth with his hand so that he can smile without drawing any attention to himself.  For once, class passes in the blink of an eye.

He slides into the seat next to Myungjun's as other students file out of the room.  "Look who's the thirteen-year-old now."

Myungjun looks at him out of the corner of his eye, "Still you."

"And you like me."

"You make my day a little bit better," Myungjun says quietly.  "It's your fault."  He rises from his seat and takes a step forward.   He holds out his hand without looking at Jinwoo.  After a moment too long, he shakes it at Jinwoo, wiggling his fingers a little.

Jinwoo smiles and weaves his fingers with Myungjun's,  He sees the corners of Myungjun's lips rise.  "Shall we swing our hands as well?" Jinwoo asks politely.

"Don't push your luck."

They walk in silence for a few minutes before Jinwoo can't contain it any longer.  "How long have you liked me for?"

Myungjun looks at him, "Long enough."

"How long is 'long enough'?"

"Jinwoo."

He sighs, "Well, I'm not good at playing it cold, and you're not good at playing it hot.  We're a perfect match!"

Myungjun stops and yanks on Jinwoo's hand.  Jinwoo slouches, "Are you breaking up with me already?"

Myungjun smiles softly and rises onto the balls of his feet to press a brief kiss on Jinwoo's forehead.  "I mean this in the best way, but you talk too much.  If it were anyone else, I might punch them in the face.  So, just keep that in mind because there are very few people that I'm willing to listen to when what they're saying has no point."

"I can't tell if you're telling me to shut up or you're saying that you love me."

Myungjun gives him a look, "We've been 'dating' for all of five minutes."

"Wow, you really must be head over heels then."

Myungjun averts his gaze and tugs Jinwoo along.

"Maybe," Myungjun whispers.

 

**Author's Note:**

> *psssst* follow me on [ tumblr](http://yehetno.tumblr.com). i answer questions there.
> 
> also, #4 is the entire reason that this exists because i feel like that's some cheesy shit jinjin would say. (also it's been forever since i've written in mj's perspective??)
> 
> comment/kudos/bookmark and have a nice day!


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